Archive for Actions

Colleen Perrin wrote to me a month ago or so with her concerns about the treatment of elephants at the Toronto Zoo.  Although the life expectancy of Toronto’s elephants is the same as that of wild elephants, there are concerns that it should be higher, since zoo elephants do not face dangers such as droughts and poaching.  The matriarch elephant was recently euthanized due to pain from a bone cyst, and there is reason to believe that lack of winter exercise and socialization may be a contributing factor.  Colleen is asking everyone to find out more at:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/the-long-goodbye-of-the-toronto-zoo-elephants-1.1894496

and then to write a letter asking for improvements to the elephant exhibit.

The GPC Toronto-Danforth EDA endorses A Realistic Energy Plan for Toronto (use less electricity, smooth supply and demand spikes, develop green energy). And so can you.

Minister Cansfield suggests that “It takes time to change a culture” when explaining why the Liberals believe that the people of Ontario can not conserve energy. I am sure that this has little to do with virtually no government investment in helping the economy become more efficient, nor would the active manipulation of electricity prices to manage political sentiment create disincentive to conserve.  It’s “the culture’s” fault.

If it is in the culture I would suggest to the Minister, the candidates in Toronto-Danforth, journalists and energy users to recognise that responding to peak electrical demand in the summer in Toronto has little to do with keeping lights on. It’s all about keeping air conditioners running. So let’s change the language and alleviate the fear of blackouts. At least that way, the culture can start to make an informed decision about turning their houses into refrigerators when it’s 25 degrees outside.

Greg Bonser
Toronto, Ontario

The Ontario Power Authority has released its report with recommendations on Ontario’s electricity future, and Energy Minister Donna Cansfield has requested input from the community before the Province decides how to proceed. There are a number of concerns for the Green Party in the report, which claims to focus on conservation and renewables but plans investment in nuclear facilities to maintain a 50% contribution from nuclear in the energy mix, while achieving only a 5% reduction in projected demand through conservation, by far a cheaper and less harmful option.

Please write courteous letters to Minister Cansfield expressing your concerns about the high investment in nuclear power and the lack of commitment to conservation. Emailed letters can be sent to the “Ministry of Energy” <email got deleted, sorry>.

Copies can be sent to:
“Minister Cansfield” <email got deleted, sorry>,
“Premier Dalton McGuinty” <email got deleted, sorry>,
“Opposition leader John Tory” <email got deleted, sorry>,
“NDP leader Howard Hampton” <email got deleted, sorry>,
“Green Party of Ontario leader Frank de Jong” <email got deleted, sorry>,
“NDP MPP Peter Tabuns” <email got deleted, sorry>

Please feel free to use part or all of the letter below.     Read more »

On Thursday, 2005 December 22, folk songwriter and recording artist Brian Gladstone hosted a fundraising concert for the Toronto–Danforth and Beaches East York ridings. The venue was the Renaissance Cafe, 1938 Danforth Ave.

Performers included Brian himself, as well as co-host David Newland, Christine Donovan, Damon Hines, David McLachlan, D Lafortune Brown, Norman Cristofoli, Marianne Girard, Honey Novick, Laura Ranieri, Linda Saslove, Sean Peever, Steve Raiken, Martin Gladstone, Uncle Seth, and many more.